La Postita

Turrialba: Some say Turrialba means “White Tower” in old Spanish, and the volcano was presumably named after the columns of steam that once rose from its core. It has a population of 30,000 and is 55 km (34 miles) east from San José. It takes approximately 1-1/2 hours by car from San Jose’ due to its winding curves and hilly terrain. Once you arrive to the last hill you will drop down into Turrialba, a bustling colorful town nestled in the heart of a peaceful agricultural valley.

Turrialba is the home of CATIE (Tropical Agronomic Research and Education Center), a major hemispheric educational research facility on 2,000 acres. Tropical trees of all kinds adorn the vast campus and provide a peaceful environment to explore by walking or riding a bicycle and observe the many birds that frequent this place. Many of the fruit trees planted in La Postita were selected in consultation with CATIE.

Farther east of town in the small town of Pavones is Parque Viborana, an educational serpentarium where its specialty is snakes and extraction of venom for medicinal purposes.

Guayabo National Monument, where an estimated 10,000 people lived around 1000 BC is located in the area and it is the largest, most important archaeological site in the country.

La Postita: La Postita was founded by Carl and Magdalena Maxwell, world travelers who have worked in Central America, Africa, the Middle East and SE Asia. La Postita is named after a family farm, La Posta, belonging to Magdalena's family in Peru'. This is a small version of La Posta, a 7 acre farm with a fully furnished cabaña designed and constructed—handicap friendly, and completed in 2007. It is located on the hills because of the fresh breeze and fantastic view of the Turrialba valley and lake below. It offers a peaceful and quiet place to relax and enjoy the environs of country living. Its' location also serves as a base of operations and strategic jump off point to visit and explore the many tourist attractions in the area, conduct environmental/ecological studies, or just a nice quiet place to stay put and relax, read a book, or write a novel.